Miracle League Selected For $10,000, Jimmie Johnson’s Helmet of Hope
April 30, 2013
Five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson has selected the Miracle League of Pensacola to be featured on the 2013 Jimmie Johnson Foundation Blue Bunny Helmet of Hope. The Miracle League will receive $10,000 and will appear on the helmet Johnson will wear during race weekend activities at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn on August 18.
The Miracle League of Pensacola provides a safe, organized baseball league and facilities for Gulf Coast children with mental and/or physical challenges where every player plays, every player hits, every player gets on base, every player scores and every player wins – every inning. Currently they serve nearly 200 players ranging in age from 4 to 64 years young.
Paul Hinson, a volunteer umpire for the organization, nominated The Miracle League of Pensacola for the Blue Bunny Helmet of Hope, saying, “We accept all players, regardless of their challenges, there are players confined to wheelchairs, players with Down Syndrome and players with attention and learning disorders.”
The League pairs up an able bodied person with each player, enabling the people of the community to form a bond with the players and also to see the happiness that the players gain by being able to play the game of baseball.
“We are honored to be recognized and will continue to provide a safe and organized baseball league for the Gulf Coast,” Shirley Godwin of the Miracle League said.
Pictured top: Miracle League of Pensacola players, coaches and volunteers offer a special “thanks” to Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet for Nascar, after their selection to appear on the Jimmie Johnson Foundation Blue Bunny Helmet of Hope and a $10,000 grant. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Northview Chiefs Receive State Championship Rings (With Photo Gallery)
April 30, 2013
The Northview High School Chiefs received their state championship rings during a ceremony at the school Monday afternoon.
Last December, the Chiefs won the District 1A State Football Championship in Orlando’s Citrus Bowl. It was the first state championship for the school in Bratt, and the only state football championship in Escambia County this year.
For a photo gallery, click here.
“For the first time in school history, you can say you are the state football champions,” Superintendent Malcolm Thomas said as he addressed the football players and student body. “You will always get to keep that pride knowing that you are part of something very, very special.”
Thomas presented a $1,000 donation toward the cost of the rings. Escambia County Commissioner Steven Barry, along with Century Mayor Freddie McCall and Eli and Sarah Miller, presented another combined $1,000 donation.
While every player received their ring Monday, the full bill is not yet paid. Donations are being accepted at the school to provide the rings to students in need.
Also Monday, members of the varsity cheerleading squad were presented with their State Championship Medallions.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Pictured top: Northview Chiefs Kahlil Grice, Ryan Lambert and Justin Halteman react upon seeing their state championship rings for the first time Monday afternoon. Pictured below: The District 1A State Champion Northview Chiefs. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Wahoos Split Doubleheader To End Road Trip
April 30, 2013
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos settled for a split in their doubleheader with the Tennessee Smokies on Monday afternoon, winning game one 3-0 before falling in the second game 3-0 at Smokies Park.
Pensacola jumped on top early in game one, scoring in each of their first three at-bats. In the first, Travis Mattair snapped an 0-for-23 skid with an RBI single to score Ryan LaMarre. Brodie Greene smashed his second homer of the season an inning later to make it 2-0, and LaMarre capped the scoring with an RBI single in the third inning that scored Devin Lohman.
That was more than enough for Pensacola starter Josh Smith (3-2) who extended his personal scoreless streak to 16 innings with five shutout frames. Smith allowed just two hits, struck out four and walked two to win his third consecutive decision. Drew Hayes picked up his first save of the season with two strikeouts in the seventh.
Eric Jokisch (3-1) took his first loss of the season by giving up all three runs on six hits in five innings for Tennessee.
Game two was scoreless headed to the last of the seventh before Jae-Hoon Ha launched a pinch-hit, two-out, three-run homer that gave the Smokies the walk-off victory. The Wahoos appeared to catch a break on the previous batter when Rubi Silva was held at third base on a hard-hit single off the right field wall, but Pensacola wasn’t able to escape before Ha’s blast.
The Wahoos mustered just one hit against game two starter Kyle Hendricks, a sixth-inning single from Lohman. Hendricks struck out eight over six innings but was dealt a no-decision. Marcus Hatley (1-0) picked up the win in relief by tossing the seventh inning.
Wilkin De La Rosa (0-1) took the loss for the Wahoos by giving up the three-run homer in the seventh. Tim Crabbe earned a no-decision despite five shutout frames in which he allowed just three hits and struck out three.
The Wahoos will have an off day on Tuesday before returning home for the first of five on Wednesday with the Montgomery Biscuits at Bayfront Stadium. Chad Rogers gets the start for Pensacola against Montgomery’s Jacob Thompson. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. All fans are encouraged to wear blue as part of the “BLUE OUT” as the Wahoos honor the Blue Angels throughout the night.
story by Kevin Burke
Wahoos, Smokies Washed Out – Again
April 29, 2013
As a result of two straight rainy days in Kodak, Tenn., Sunday’s doubleheader between the Pensacola Blue Wahoos and the Tennessee Smokies has been postponed. One of the games will be lost on the two teams’ schedules because they do not play each other the rest of the season, but they will play a doubleheader on Monday beginning at 11:00 a.m. CT.
Both games will be seven inning contests. The pitching matchups for Monday’s games have not been announced at the time of the postponement.
After an off day on Tuesday, the Blue Wahoos return home to open a five-game series with Montgomery. Wednesday will be a Blue-Out in honor of the Blue Angels. All fans are encouraged to wear blue as a show of support for the Pensacola-based flight demonstration team.
Argos Win Pace Tournament
April 29, 2013
The 11-year old travel ball team the Argos took home first place in the recent Spring Slam in Pace. Pictured are the undefeated Argos (bottom, L-R) Cole Mullins, John Pinette, Nathan Brewton, Christian Munoz, Jacob Bryant, (top, L-R) Trevor Norton, Chase Barcus, TJ McCants, Cameron Bailey and Sam Shackle. Coaches are Mike Norton, Levy Bryant and Matt Faust, all of Cantonment. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate Grad Golightly Named All-Sunbelt Conference
April 28, 2013
University of South Alabama women’s golf senior Kristen Golightly was named second-team all-Sun Belt Conference, the league announced Thursday.
Golightly, a graduate of Tate High School, finished with a 76.48 stroke average in 27 rounds this season after turning in a career-low 3-under par 69 in the final round of the SBC Championship to earn a career-best third-place finish at the tournament with a three-round, even-par total of 216. She earned three top-five finishes, and finished in the top 10 in two additional tournaments this season.
“I am very happy for Kristen making the all-conference team, she is very deserving,” head coach TJ Jackson said. “From day one she has worked extremely hard in all aspects of what it takes to be a successful student-athlete. Her take-no-shortcut work-ethic and team-first attitude is the makeup that any coach would want for their players to have, and in Kristen’s case those qualities allowed her to improve her golf game each year and succeed in the classroom.
“Because of her work-ethic and the pride that she takes in being a part of this team, Kristen has been a natural leader for the team not just this year but for most of her time as a Jaguar. Kristen has led the team in stroke average the past two seasons, which is quite an accomplishment, but the intangibles mentioned above are just as important. I am very proud of her for what she has accomplished here at South Alabama and for her recognition of being named to the Sun Belt all-Conference team.”
Golightly is the first Jaguar to earn all-conference honors since Elin Andersson in 2008. She played golf for four years at Tate High, and she was on the Lady Aggies softball team as a three-year starter as catcher.
Golightly is the daughter of Chris and Vicki Golightly
Photos: AND1 Steetball Hoops Show Rocks Local Fans
April 27, 2013
Northview High School featured the AND1 Streetball Tour 2013 Friday night.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
District Losses For Northview, Tate
April 26, 2013
Both Northview and Tate came up short Thursday night in their homes for district championships, but both teams are still alive headed into the district semis as runner-ups.
District Finals Class 6A
The Tate Aggies had a taste of playing as the visiting team on their own field as the No. 2 sees as they faced the Pace Patriots in the District 1-6A title game.
The Aggies were first on the scoreboard with a base hit from David Moorhead that sent JT Granat in to score for a 1-0 Aggie lead. The Aggies stole home to make it all tied up 1-1 in the second.
The Patriots took at 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth and held on, as Pace beat Tate 2-1 for the tourney title.
Also Thursday night, Crestview beat Mosley 3-2.
It will be Tate at Crestview and Mosley at Pace when the regional tournament gets underway
District Finals Class 1A
In the Class 1A title games, the Northview Chiefs lost to Holmes County Bonifay 3-0 and Paxton beat Central 3-0. When the 1A regional semifinals get underway on May 7, Northview will travel to Paxton, and Central will travel to Bonifay to face Holmes County.
Five-Run Seventh Pushes Pensacola’s Wahoos Past Jackson
April 25, 2013
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos broke open a 3-3 tie with a five-run seventh against the Jackson bullpen and went on beat the Generals 8-4 on Wednesday afternoon. The win gave Pensacola its second series victory of the season, but just its first since the opening homestand against Tennessee.
The Wahoos used a balanced attack to batter a beleaguered Jackson pitching staff. Eight of the nine Pensacola starters recorded at least one base knock with three players driving in multiple runs.
Theo Bowe started the decisive seventh inning with a one-out double, his second of the game, and came around to score the go-ahead run on a Brodie Greene single. Donald Lutz then provided the biggest blow of the frame with a two-run triple to center to open up a three-run cushion. Steve Selsky added an RBI single and scored the final run of the inning on a wild pitch.
It was Pensacola’s second big inning of the game as the Wahoos erased an early 2-0 deficit with a three-run third, thanks in part to two Jackson errors. The Wahoos got an RBI single from Ryan LaMarre, a bases-loaded walk from Greene and a sac fly from Selsky to take a 3-2 lead.
Jackson tied the game at three with a Steven Proscia solo homer in the sixth off Chad Rogers, but the Wahoos immediately responded with the five-run seventh to take the lead for good.
Rogers earned his second win of the season by going seven strong frames, yielding three runs (two earned) on five hits while striking out five.
Moises Hernandez took his second loss of the series for the Generals as he gave up four runs in just one-third of an inning. Starter James Gillheeney went six innings for Jackson and gave up three runs (one earned) on three hits before departing with the game tied.
Now halfway through their 10-game road trip, the Blue Wahoos trek across the state of Tennessee to open a five-game series with the Tennessee Smokies tomorrow night. Ryan Dennick (1-0, 2.65) will start for the Wahoos against Tennessee righty Dallas Beeler (1-2, 4.07). First pitch from Smokies Park is scheduled for 6:15 p.m.
District Baseball Roundup: Wins For Northview, Tate; Loss For WFHS
April 24, 2013
Here’s a look at district baseball playoff scores from across the area Tuesday:
In District 2-1A tournament action at Baker, the Northview Chiefs defeated Freeport 4-2, and Bonifay downed Baker 4-0. No 1. seed Bonifay will face No 1. Northview Thursday for the district championship.
In District 1-6A play at Tate, the Tate Aggies beat Pine Forest 4-2, and Pace downed Washington 6-5 in eight innings. Pace will play Navarre at 4 p.m. today, and Tate will play Escambia at 7 p.m. in the District 1-6A semifinals.
And in District 1-5A, No. 2 seed West Florida fell to Gulf Breeze 8-4, and Rutherford slammed Arnold 10-0. No. 1 seed Rutherford will play No. 3 Gulf Breeze on Thursday at Arnold.
NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.